define Suffix

A suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word to modify its meaning or grammatical function. In linguistics, suffixes can change a word's part of speech, tense, or convey additional meanings. For example, in English:

• The suffix “-ed” can be added to a verb to form the past tense (e.g., "walk" becomes "walked").
• The suffix “-ing” indicates a continuous action (e.g., "run" becomes "running").
• The suffix “-ness” can turn an adjective into a noun (e.g., "happy" becomes "happiness").

Suffixes play an important role in word formation and help expand vocabulary by creating new words from existing ones.